Metz (AsiaNews) – This morning, Pope Leo XIV flew from Lourdes to Metz, the final stop of his apostolic journey to France (25–28 September 2026).
In this ancient city in the country's northeast, the capital of the Moselle Department, located 55 km from the Luxembourg border, the pope was welcomed by local authorities and a group of children who greeted him with songs, gifts, and hugs.
The pontiff then proceeded to the Robert Schuman Congress Centre, named after the French politician and founding father of the European Community for an interfaith meeting with representatives of other religions.
The Metz Appeal by religious leaders
The Metz Appeal by religious leaders in France was read aloud before the pope spoke.
Although the world has "changed profoundly” since 27 October 1986, this plea follows the Assisi Appeal made 40 years ago by Saint John Paul II and other world religious leaders.
Signed by the members of the Conference of Religious Leaders in France[*] (CRCF), a body established in 2010 that brings together leaders from the Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities, it speaks against ongoing wars, inequalities, and imbalances.
“These upheavals trouble us, yet they call us to even greater commitment,” reads the appeal. “[O]ur religious traditions call upon us to be sentinels, attentive to the dignity of every individual and care for one another. They invite us not to resign ourselves to violence, injustice, or indifference, but to act together in the service of peace, fraternity, and reconciliation”.
In the presence of Pope Francis, the religious leaders, including Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of France, and Haïm Korsia, chief rabbi of France, proposed “three concrete commitments”.
The first one is “to steadfastly pursue rigorous dialogue.” The second is “to educate our younger generations in mutual understanding.” And finally, the third is “to remain united, even in adversity, to promote justice and peace.”
“Religions are guardians of life”
When he spoke, the pontiff said that “joy” and a “keen sense of spiritual responsibility” accompany his presence in Metz, a “city of borders and crossroads”. For him, “Dialogue does not diminish our identity, but expresses it with simplicity and truth by opening it to the diversity of others,” he said.
Pope Leo cited his predecessors on interfaith dialogue: Pope Francis, who called for “friendship” and “peace,” and Saint John Paul II, for whom dialogue is an “intrinsic requirement of human nature itself”.
He also mentioned French philosopher Paul Ricœur (1913–2005) for whom dialogue “is the path through which we recognize otherness as a promise rather than a threat. It is an art of encounter that our world sorely needs, and it is the very opposite of aggression and violence.”
Earlier, Leo mentioned Robert Schuman (1886-1963), after whom the conference centre is named, who “knew how to transform old dividing lines into bridges of hope for all of Europe, becoming a true ambassador of unity in diversity.”
“Indeed, to invoke God’s name in order to justify violence or oppression is to profane that name,” the pope said. “Nothing that disfigures human dignity can claim to be inspired by God. Religious discourse must constantly call for the disarmament of hearts and words. This places a direct responsibility on each of us as guardians of our respective traditions.”
In Metz, the pope noted that the “fruitfulness of religious traditions” must be measured by service to “peace and fraternity,” as well as by the “ability to protect, accompany and serve life.”
“Religions are guardians of life, for they affirm its sacred value,” he explained. “Their fruitfulness is shown in their loving presence alongside those who are most vulnerable and fragile.”
Leo went on to stress that to “serve life” means dedicating oneself to “care, presence and tenderness, especially in times of trial, right to the very end.”
“For those of us who are open to transcendence, our mission is to offer sound points of reference, especially to young people, to help build a communion that respects and upholds the dignity of every human person.”
Meeting with victims abused by clergy
In a press release today, the Holy See Press Office reported that yesterday afternoon, shortly after 5:30 pm, Pope Leo XIV met at the Bishop's House in Lourdes with seven people, four men and three women, victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the French Church.
This was a significant gesture with strong symbolic value, given that abuse by clerics and religious figures is a widespread and structural issue in France.
The seven victims were accompanied by Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, who is also president of the Council for the Prevention and Fight Against Pedophilia of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of France.
The pontiff reportedly met with each of them individually in private, listening “to their stories, the pain and suffering they endured – sometimes, regrettably, with the complicity or silence of those who could have helped them – and to their proposals to ensure this does not happen again.”
At the end, he thanked them for their painful testimony and reiterated his commitment to ensuring that “the evil experienced is not repeated for others.”
The Holy See Press Office added that Leo expressed “closeness to them and, through them, to all those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the wounds of abuse.”
[*] Conférence des responsables de culte en France.
